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Merseyside Legal Manager In Sahara Ultra-Marathon For Cancer

15th March 2016

Lee Quinn, a Manager in the Road Traffic Accident department of Birkenhead solicitors, Your Legal Friend, is raising funds for a children’s cancer charity by taking on the toughest footrace on earth - the Marathon des Sables, a 156-mile ultra-marathon across the Sahara Desert.

Lee will fly out to Morocco before taking a seven-hour journey into the desert to the race’s secret starting location, where the six-day challenge begins on April 10th.

To prepare for the challenge, Lee is undertaking training at Liverpool John Moores university, with his regime overseen by Professor Ben Edwards. Lee also followed a training plan provided and overseen by the Guinness World Record holder, Rory Coleman, who has completed the Marathon des Sables twelve times himself and trained Sir Ranulph Fiennes for the race in 2015.

Lee is taking the challenge to raise money for Neuroblastoma UK, a charity working with children diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that affects approximately 100 children in the UK every year, the majority of whom are under four years old.

With an original goal of raising £5,000, Lee’s JustGiving page has already received over 90 donations raising over £6,000 - with more still coming in. The entire amount will be donated directly to the charity, with all other costs such as travel, food and the cost of participating in the race met by Lee himself.

From the 14th of March Lee will incorporate early morning high-temperature conditioning three times a week to acclimatise him to the 50-degree centigrade heat he will face, while also carrying 8kg of food, clothing and equipment.

During the race, Lee will need to consume twelve litres of water and eat 2,500 calories per day, and will be burning up calories well in excess of this for the entire time he is out in the Sarah desert.

Lee said: “I’m by no means a pro athlete, and training for the Marathon des Sables is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I’m so grateful for the financial and emotional support I’ve received from so many people, especially from my colleagues at Your Legal Friend.

“All of the money raised will go straight to Neuroblastoma UK. The difference they make to the families and lives of children with Neuroblastoma is huge. I’m amazed by how quickly the £5,000 has been exceeded, but I want to encourage people to keep on giving – there will always be more needing done to beat cancer.”

Lee Quinn’s JustGiving page can be found at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/LeeQuinn03